Early in January the birds should have their nails trimmed, if overlong,
to prevent punctured eggs or accidental harm to the nestlings. Allow the
hen as much flying exercise as possible. If you have no flight cage, the
added exercise she will get in the breeding cage, with the partitions
removed, will be helpful.
In early February the regular seed diet should be supplemented with egg
food. This is prepared by sieving a 30-minute boiled egg and mixing with
toasted bread crumbs etc., to a crumbly consistency. See "Egg Food" in
"General Care" section. A little poppy seed sprinkled over the portion
given each bird is beneficial. A daily teaspoonful of this mixture for
each bird is sufficient until the early part of March. About once a week
scatter a little ground oyster shell on the cage floor with the gravel,
and keep a cuttle bone in the cage at all times. A few tender dandelion
leaves, when procurable, are relished once a week. Some breeders like to
use freshly sprouted seed at the stage when the sprout is a quarter of
an inch long or less and also greens they raise themselves from the
regular bird seed mixture. The early part of January is a good time to
practice raising these greens. Just be sure that there is no evidence of
mold growth on the sprouted seed when it is fed.
Small diameter perches for the chicks just weaned can be secured in
advance. A visit to your shrubs or grape arbor will easily provide a
handful of suitable length perches of moderately rough surface, from ¼{~DOUBLE PRIME~}
to {~VULGAR FRACTION THREE EIGHTHS~}{~DOUBLE PRIME~} in diameter. Starting about the first of March a little niger seed
should be given the hen in a treat cup two or three times weekly. This
oily seed should help prevent egg binding. At this time both the solid
and wire partitions can be put back in the breeding cage, and the cock
changed to his half of the cage.